University of Windsor tips off drive for 2011 CIS championship
Courtesy Canadian Interuniversity Sport
WINDSOR, Ont. - Canadian Interuniversity Sport and the University of Windsor are excited to tip off the 2010-11 women’s basketball season as well as announce exciting event details for the 2011 CIS championship.
The 2010-11 campaign will feature a new-look playoff format that will culminate with an expanded national championship tournament.
Following the conclusion of the conference playoffs, three Regionals each featuring four teams from across the country will be held on March 11 and 12, with the winners joining the four conference champions and the host Windsor Lancers at the traditional CIS Final 8 from March 18 to 20 at the St. Denis Centre.
Under the new format, Canada West and OUA finalists will host a regional tourney annually while a third “Regional” will alternate between the Atlantic and Quebec conferences. The AUS silver medallists are slated to host the event twice every three seasons, beginning next spring.
The matchups for 2011 are:
- CIS West Regional (semi-final matchups): CWUAA 2 (host) vs. At-Large Berth / RSEQ 2 vs. OUA 4
- CIS Central Regional (semi-final matchups): OUA 2 (host) vs. CWUAA 5 / CWUAA 3 vs. AUS 3
- CIS East Regional (semi-final matchups): AUS 2 (host) vs. OUA 5 / OUA 3 vs. CWUAA 4
More details can be found in the women’s basketball section of the CIS website at www.cis-sic.ca.
U of Windsor: first-time host
For the University of Windsor Lancers, this will be the first time in program history that they will play host to the CIS women’s basketball Final 8.
Event details for the championship were announced on Tuesday morning at a press conference held on the campus of the University of Windsor.
Early bird tournament passes are on sale now with new reserved seating available in the St. Denis Centre Fieldhouse for all six sessions of the Final 8. The passes include a reserved seat at all sessions, a CIS championship t-shirt, as well as a commemorative program. The passes are only $45 for adults and $20 for seniors and youth (children 12 and under).
The early bird special can be purchased from November 2nd to December 22nd on the Lancers’ website at www.golancers.ca. Regular championship tournament pricing begins in January 2011.
Honourary chairs announced
The Department of Athletics at the University of Windsor also announced that alumnus Richard Peddie and his wife Colleen will be the honourary chairs of the 2011 CIS championship.
Mr. Peddie is the President and C.E.O of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which includes the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. He is an alumnus of the University of Windsor and proud supporter of the University, its business school and Lancer Athletics.
Also big supporters of head coach Chantal Vallée and the Lancer women’s basketball program, Mr. and Mrs. Peddie - herself the CFO and part owner at Bensimon and Byrne Inc in Toronto - are eager to lend their support and resources to the University of Windsor for the event.
The pair will serve as co-hosts of the Women of Influence CIS Major Awards Banquet to be held on Thursday, March 17 at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts in Windsor. This unique gala will focus on women of distinction and leadership which is an overall theme for the championship.
Event VIP’s and special guests will include a who’s who of influential and notable women in the world of business, sports and education. More details on the exciting night will be available in the coming months on the CIS championship website.
Shoot For The Cure: 4th edition
CIS Women’s Basketball will also support a charitable cause again this year. Earlier this fall, the CIS women’s basketball coaches association (WBCA) launched the fourth edition of its fundraising initiative to help raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Shoot For The Cure campaign has proven to be an overwhelming success in its first three years with just under a quarter of a million dollars in donations. This year, CIS programs will raise money at regular season games, non-conference matches, holiday tournaments and special events.
At the 2010 CIS championship in Hamilton, the WBCA presented a cheque for $94,650 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, surpassing the $81,512 collected in 2008-09 and $50,320 in the initiative’s inaugural season in 2007-08.
In addition to these impressive totals, $21,064 was amassed over the past two years by schools that elected to donate their fundraised money to local cancer organizations.
To support the cause, the 2011 CIS championship host Windsor Lancers will also be doing their part to generate awareness and funds. In addition to raising funds at their February 5th Blue & Gold & Pink event, the Lancers will be donating $2,500 from the proceeds raised at the 2011 Nationals towards breast cancer research.
THE ROAD TO THE 2011 BRONZE BABY TROPHY
February 23 – March 5
OUA playoffs
February 25 – March 5
CWUAA playoffs
March 2-5
RSEQ playoffs
March 4-6
AUS playoffs
March 11-12
CIS West Regional (semi-final matchups): CWUAA 2 (host) vs. At-Large Berth / QSSF 2 vs. OUA 4
CIS Central Regional (semi-final matchups): OUA 2 (host) vs. CWUAA 5 / CWUAA 3 vs. AUS 3
CIS East Regional (semi-final matchups): AUS 2 (host) vs. OUA 5 / OUA 3 vs. CWUAA 4
March 18-20
CIS Final 8 at University of Windsor